'Sons of Anarchy' Season 5: Maggie Siff on whether Tara is the new and improved Gemma

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Now that the Sons are under a new regime, first lady Gemma Teller Morrow (Katey Sagal) is first lady no more. While Jax (Charlie Hunnam) steps in as club president, Tara (Maggie Siff) finds herself in a new role — no longer on the sidelines, but completely immersed in the business.

Zap2it caught up with the SAMCRO leading lady at the second annual Boot Campaign’s Boot Ride and Rally (Aug. 26) and discussed Tara’s future on the upcoming Season 5.

Season 4 was a particularly trying one for the doctor. Always the voice of reason, she now has to deal with the repercussions of her injury, club politics and maintaining her family’s well-being — big tasks considering how high the stakes are for everyone in Charming.

Siff clued us in on what’s going on in Tara’s head:

“She is in a dark space. It’s just really her sort of taking on more responsibilities in the club. I think Jax and Tara are trying to figure out how to live in those roles and assert their power more.”

She continues, “[Tara] really is stepping into the more powerful and more aggressive position and doing what she has to do to protect her children and to protect the club. She’s also beginning to think of the club as family.”

But will Tara be following in Gemma’s footsteps? Not necessarily.

“She’s shaping up to be her own kind of Queen,” teases Siff. “Nobody can be Gemma. She’s sort of an unparalleled character. They’re such different people, but Tara’s taken a few lessons from Gemma for sure.”

Don’t expect the transition of power between the two strong women to be an easy one, though. We’re told to watch out for tension between the characters: “That’s an ongoing thing this season — the extent to which they need each other versus how antagonistic they are towards each other.”